Earthship Hybrid - seeking input as we plan this out.

[glenn kangiser]

Women don''t always agree with me. 

[PureCountry]

Hah! As if that's possible...! 


I'll be sure to tell my wife that Glenn said I can spend lots of time in my rocker.   

And I'm sure she'll waste no time in responding that you are in fact off your rocker.

[ListerD]

hehehe! She already knows that!  

Who else would want to live in a concrete box int he middle of nowhere Missouri? Well, quite a few people actually but you have to question their (and mine) sanity.

[glenn kangiser]

Use wood not concrete.  If you build a Faraday cage around her she'll really go wacko on you.  It may disrupt her thought processes - maybe even give her brain damage.

Oehler is against concrete and steel - not healthy he says.

[ListerD]

You know, I had a question this morning.

Went in the kitchen and got my coffee then came in here, sat down and promptly forgot my question... 

[ScottA]

Happens to me all the time. 

[glenn kangiser]

It'll come back when your computer is off or you are away.  Sit down to type it out and it will go away again.  Carry a pencil and paper.  Try to remember to write it down.

Try to remember to look at it.

That's how I do it.

[ListerD]

Yeah CRS is kicking in... 

[glenn kangiser]

I heard that...

What was that again? hmm

[ListerD]

CRS: Can't Remember Sh!t

Oh wait, you knew what it meant and was making a joke. I gotta stop going to the forums before my coffee has kicked in. 

[glenn kangiser]

You got it.

[ListerD]

Well the question was:

We're looking at a cold roof, is it possible (sensible?) to make the base out of SIPs and then the cold box on top of it? Rough pricing doesn't seem to be much different in cost.

[glenn kangiser]

I'm not familiar with that - do you have info or a link on it?

[ListerD]

Not familiar with which part?

SIP:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_insulated_panel

Quick diagram of a cold roof:

[glenn kangiser]

The cold roof.  What  is the theory or purpose of it?

For most of our applications we have stayed away from the sips as it changes to an engineered building.  Without permits it would not be a much of a problem as long as structural safety is considered..

[ListerD]

Best definition is here: http://www.innovativeroofingconsultants.com/guidelines_cold_roof.html

It's essentially a double deck roof with a cold air venting.

[firefox]

SIPs are a great way to build, but you really don't want to mix them with standard stick framing or you will loose the benefits of the SIP construction.  There is a SIP forum that has some good advice, although no where as good as this forum. A lot of the answers are somewhat biased, but there are a few regulars that will give you the straight scoop. Chris "cmkavala".  Here is the link to the general area, then select the SIP forum.
http://www.greenbuildingtalk.com/

I do not vouch for anyone on that forum.
Bruce

[ListerD]

I'll check out the forum. Thanks.

Not really planing on SIPs, was just touching on an idea.


Hell, last night I had a dream we'd done the house in the shape of a box with an open courtyard in the middle.

[glenn kangiser]

Oh, a typical larger Mexican house.  They are really nice.

[ListerD]

LOL! I just got the image of a cardboard box. 

Actually I'm sure this is what sparked the dream since I'd seen it yesterday. http://www.materialicious.com/2008/10/concrete-box-ho.html

[mvk]

Anybody have an idea how you water proof that flat concrete?
Mike

[ListerD]

I know there's concrete finishers like Thompsons and etc. My first idea when I saw this was just to tilt the roof at a slight angle outwards.

Either way, I know this one is or would be expensive so I just looked for finish ideas in the gallery linked there.

[glenn kangiser]

I use Concrete Cure and Seal but there are others such as Sanitred that grab right into it and make a permanent tough water tight seal.

[ListerD]

Wow! Been a bit since my last post here. Been having back problems and other misc life stuff getting in the way...

Gotta catch up with a couple threads and then come back here for some more questions.

[poppy]

I am way late to this discussion, but enjoy talk about earthships, and hybrids, and unconventional approaches to home building.

You might check out the thread linked in the build section about the off-grid build in TN.  It's an earthship of sorts.

The only comment I have is on the floor plan:  If it were me, I would flip positions on the laundry room and pantry. 

I understand the desire to have plumbing in a small area, but the washer could still be pretty close to the master bath.

I would want the pantry next to the kitchen, and the laundry room noise as isolated as possible.

Just my 2 cents.